The global legal marijuana market is predicted to reach $66.3 billion by the end of 2025. Many businesses and brands have emerged with the objective to secure a piece of that colossal greenback pie.

As with any new market, there will be those brands that rise above the rest. As sustainable and ethical business practices increasingly fuel consumer spending habits and investors’ decisions, significant competitive advantage is available to businesses that invest in sustainability and social impact efforts.  

Licensed producer Tilray Inc. announced late Tuesday afternoon that it will be laying off 10 per cent of its staff, in an effort to cut costs.

“By reducing headcount and cost, Tilray will be better positioned to achieve profitability,” CEO Brendan Kennedy said in a statement released by the company.

Tilray employs 1,443 people globally, with a majority of them in Canada and Portugal, according to company spokesperson Chrissy Roebuck. She declined to specify which departments of the company will be affected by the layoffs.

“The tough decision to eliminate roles has not been taken lightly. We’re extremely grateful to our past and current employees for their contributions,” Kennedy said.

Marijuana stocks in Canada enjoyed strong revenue growth in 2019. Prior-year results were easy to compare to because the government hadn't legalized pot until October 2018.

In 2020, the edible and ingestible market will continue to help pad the sales of Canadian pot stocks. The problem, however, is that while the revenue numbers may be up from last year, they may not be as strong as what investors are hoping for.

Restrictions on edibles pose a problem

Edibles are an exciting new segment of the cannabis industry. From beverages to food products, there are many new products that companies can develop. In September, industry leader Canopy Growth said it was working on 50 new edible products.

Dow do you like them apples?

In just over one year, legal cannabis sales in Massachusetts — a state with the population of 6.9 million — reached more than half of legal sales for the entire country of Canada, according to a U.S. national cannabis law firm.

All financial amounts in this story are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

Cannabis retailers in the northeastern state sold around US$509 million ($677 million) worth of legal weed from November 2018 to the end of January 2020, Vicente Sederberg LLP data analysis calculated.

It isn't impossible for cannabis stocks to report profits, but finding stocks in the industry that can do so consistently is another story. That's one of the reasons many investors steer clear of the industry, as a lack of profitability and lots of cash burn have made the sector a very risky one to invest in. Two Israeli companies are researching an exciting new technology that could change the outlook for the industry, which could help cannabis companies improve their margins.

It’s lights, camera, action for a Vancouver entrepreneur whose CBD drink is headed to this year’s Academy Awards.

Jigme Love, a Vancouver entrepreneur, is the founder of Infuzed Thirst, a CBD-infused canned sparkling water drink that promises zero calories, zero sugar and natural flavours.

Cans of Infuzed Thirst will be included in duffle swag bags being gifted to stars in attendance, such as Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Scarlett Johannson, Tom Hanks and others.

Two years in, Canada still isn't bringing in nearly as much tax revenue from marijuana sales as it had projected. Its mistakes provide some valuable lessons for other governments hoping legalization can balancing their budgets.

The National Post reports that the country's government had expected to bring in $100 million in revenue for fiscal year 2019–20. Now it's projecting only about $66 million in revenue, a third less.

The marijuana industry was supposed to have investors seeing green in 2019, but it's red that's dominated the landscape. Following a blazing first quarter which saw more than a dozen pot stocks rise by at least 70%, cannabis stocks spent the remaining nine months of the year in a precipitous downtrend.

While the industry clearly has a lot of growing up to do, there's also a massive long-term opportunity for investors to take advantage of. After all, Wall Street still sees the marijuana industry growing from nearly $11 billion in worldwide sales in 2018 to at least $50 billion in annual sales by 2030.

Since its mainstream introduction a couple of years ago, CBD has become one of the biggest disruptors in the beauty industry. The compound has been embraced by consumers of all kinds, causing beauty companies to look for original ways to make their mark on the blooming business. A new study predicts that by 2024, the CBD industry will be worth over 950$ billion.

This study was conducted by a strategic consultancy firm called Prohibition Partners, who called CBD’s breakthrough within the beauty industry unprecedented.

Getting a high from using tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is one of the key reasons people use marijuana. But the potency level of THC has been rising quickly over the years, and pot is much stronger than it was in the past. However, not everyone is looking to get as high as possible, and that's why there could be a more prominent trend among casual users: "lite" bud.

Company launches "LiteBud" brand

In January, Vireo Health (OTC:VREOF) announced it was launching a brand of products dubbed "LiteBud" in an attempt to meet the needs of consumers looking for a buzz as opposed to getting downright stoned.